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E. R. VON SKODA. RBooIL BRAKE PoR GUNS.

No. 4z2.o99.- Patented Feb, 25, 1890'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

EMIL RITTER V. SKODA, OF PILSEN, OHEMIA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

REColL-BRAKE FOR GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 422,099, dated-February 25, 1890.

Application filed October 12,1889. Serial 110.826,809. (No model.) Patented in GermanyDecember 1, 1888,1I0.47,472 1 in France December 1, 1888, No. 194,484; in Belgium December 1,1888,No.84,142; in Switzerland December 1, 1888, No.145; in Italy January 8, 1889, XXII, 24,493, XLVIII, 120, and in Austria-Hungary March 11, 1889, No. 47,482 and No. 5,728.

To au whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, EMIL RITTER von SKODA, a subject of the Emperor of Austria, residing at Pilsen, in the Province of Bohemia, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recoil-Brakes for Guns, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Austria-I-Iungary, No. 47,482, dated March 1l, 1889, and No. 5,728, dated March 11,1889; in Germany, Nol 47,472, dated December 1, 1888; in France, Nol 194,484, dated December 1, 1888; in Belgium N o. 84,142, dated December 1, 1888; in Switzerland, No. 145, dated December 1, 1888; in Italy, Reg. Gen., Vol. XXII, No. 24,493, and Reg. Att., Vol. XLVIII, No. 120, dated January 8, 1889;) and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part .of this specification.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of so much of a gun as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal axial section, partly in elevation, of a brake, the spring being omitted; and Fig. 8 is a cross-section taken on the line a; x of Fig. 2.

The invention relates to meansY for counteracting the recoil of a gun, and commonly termed recoil-brakes;77 and it consists in a cylinder of variable cross-sectional areas for containing iiuid, and a piston having longitudinal or helical grooves of variable crosssectional areas; also, in combination with the piston, of an auxiliary power, such as a spring, substantially as hereinafter described, and as set forth in the claims. y

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a rapid-iiring gun that has an endwise motion iu a suitable support, the brake-cylinder being connected with the support and the piston thereof with the gun, the latter being of the system of lrapid-firing guns such as l have described in my applications for Letters Patent filed October4, 1889, Serial No. 825,987, and October 9, 1889, Serial No. 326,392, respectively.

Although the invention is more espe eially designed for use with the system of guns referred to, I do not desire to limit myself to this use, as it is evident that the brake-cylindermay be secured to a stationary element of a gun, such as a gun-platform, and the piston tothe movable gun, or vice versa, as may be found most convenient, so that the ordinary space allowed for the recoil of guns may be greatly reduced.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the gun mounted in a support B, in which said gun has free endwise motion, the gun A being provided with ribs or tongues a, that fit into guide-grooves b21 of the support B, which is also provided with trunnions b, on which it is adapt-ed to revolve with the gun for purposes of training. lViththe support B isv connected or cast a brake-cylinder C, the forward portion c of which is of greater diameter than the rear portion c. The cylinder contains a piston P, the rod R of which is connected to a lug a', depending from the Ybreech end of the gun. The piston P is of such diameter as to iit the smaller portion c of the cylinder fluid-tight, but is provided with` peripheral helical grooves g, the cross-sectional area whereof decreases gradually from the inner to the outer end of the piston, the combined grooves forming a helical peripheral Huid-passage, the cross-sectional area of` which gradually decreases from the rear to the front end of the piston. The portion c, of greater diameter than the cylinder C, is provided with guideribs c3, that, together with the smaller portion c of said cylinder, serve t0 guide the piston P in its movements. In its normal position the piston occupies the front end of the cylinder O, as shown in Eig. 1, and it will be seen that when the gun recoils in its support and the piston moves back the fluid in said piston will be forced into and through the grooves c2, and, as these grooves or channels decrease in cross-sectional area, the volume of fluid passing therethrough decreases correspondingly, thus offering a gradually increasing resistance to the rearward movement of the piston and forming a variable brake. This is an important feature, as it effectually prevents any danger of breakage of the parts, .which may result during the first part of the recoil.

In order to avoid the use of large brakecylinders, and also in order to automatically return the gun to its normal position after recoil, when the brake is applied to rapidfiring guns, I employ an auxiliary power, as shown in Fig. l, which consists of a spring S, the power of which is governed by the weightof the gun, to bring the same back into its normal position.

In practice I so construct the brake-cylinder that one half thereof is of greater crosssectional area than the other half, although this is not absolutely necessary. In Fig. 2 I have shown a brake without the auxiliary power-spring. p

It is obvious that instead of helical grooves g straight grooves may be employed.

The resistance to the passage of the liquid increasing in proportion tothe length of the grooves, it follows that such resistance is greater in a helical than in a straight groove.

Having described my invention, whatI desire to secure by Letters Patent, and claim,

l. Abrake for ordnance, consisting of a brakercylinder o f variable crosssectional area and adapted to contain a fluid, said cylinder being connected with a stationary element of the gun, in combination with. a piston fitting the least cross-sectional area of the cylinder, connected with a movable element of the gun, andhaving a fluidpassage the sectional area of which varies, substantially as and for the purposes specified. 2. A brake for ordnance, consisting` of a brake-cylinder adapted to containa fluid, the forward portion of which is ot' greater diameter than the rear portion, said cylinder being connected with a stationary element of the gun, in combination with a piston constructed to fit the smaller portion of said cylinder, said piston being connected with a movable element of the gun and provided with peripheral grooves extending from end to end of the piston, said grooves decreasing in crosssectional area from the rear to the front end of less sectional area than the front portion, 6o

in combination with a piston` constructed to fit the smaller portion of the cylinder and having helical peripheral channels for the fluid, and a coiled spring arranged to exert its power on said piston, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. A brake forordnance, consisting of a brake-cylinder connected with a stationary element of the gun `and adapted to contain a fluid, the rear portion of said cylinder being of less sectional area than the front portion, in combination with a piston constructed to fit the smaller portion of the cylinder and having peripheral channels for the fluid of gradually decreasing cross sectional area from the rear to the front end of said piston, and a coiled spring arranged to exert its power on said piston, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. A brake for ordnance, consisting of a brake-cylinder, the outer portionc of which is of greater cross-sectional area than the inner portion c', said outer portion being provided with guide-ribs c3, in combination with a piston provided with helical peripheral grooves g, decreasing'in cross-sectional area from the inner to the outer end of said piston, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. A brake for ordnance, consisting of a brake-cylinder, the outer portion c of which is of greater cross-sectional area than the inner portion c', said outer portion being providedwith guide-ribs c3, in combination with a piston provided with helical peripheral grooves g, decreasing in cross-sectional area In testimony whereof I afx my signature roo in presence of two witnesses.

EMIL RITTER V. SKODA.

Witnesses:l

HUGO PLINET, ADoLPH FISCHER. 

